Resurrecting Love
by slyolddog
Summary: A story in which an F!Courier/Boone fall in love... eventually. Rated M for adult themes in later chapters and the odd curse every now and then. Will they ever find their happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

_Alex stood in the doorway, not sure whether she should step inside or not. Holding her breath, she walked quietly into the room, laughing at herself for being so scared. She took two more steps when she heard the familiar sound of a radscorpion directly in front of her. She quickly whipped her gun from its holster when she felt a bang behind her that shook her to her core. She screamed, falling to the ground….._

"ALEX!"  
She sat bolt upright in bed, startled out of her mind and let out a loud yell. .

"Alex, are you alright?" Veronica's cheeky face appeared beside her.

"I'm… I'm fine." She stammered, relieved that it was only a dream. She looked over at Boone, who was standing in the corner of the room.

"Yeah…. He kicked your bed to try and wake you up." Victoria dobbed on him; which earned her an irritated glare from Boone.

"Ready to go?" Alex asked Boone simply. Every morning they went out to hunt for fresh gecko. Now that there were six of them plus ED-E, their need for regular food, water and shelter had increased almost tenfold.

Boone gave her a short nod and the two set out into the crisp morning light.

The two were usually silent on their morning walk, though Alex would sometimes excitedly ramble about what they had done the previous day. Boone never answered her; instead he preferred to use this time to reflect on the past and lay plans for the next few days.

Today, Alex was quiet, until Boone spotted a small collection of geckos.

"Spotted."

"Oh, goody!" she exclaimed quietly.

The geckos heard her voice and they all came rushing at her.

Boone glared at her but she was already picking off the geckoes one by one. They defeated the pack easily and after collecting the meat, set off home once more.

"Boone…." Alex said hesitantly, breaking of the silence.

"What is it."

"I was thinking, we could go up to the Mojave Outpost today. It isn't far, and I need some more ammo for my favourite gun."

"Sure." He responded as they climbed in the entrance of the cave and pulled the rock over it.

"Aw, gecko meat again? My favourite!" Veronica said with a chirp as Alex handed the meat over to her so she could take off her armour.

"Sorry, I don't take requests." Alex said with a laugh. "Where's Arcade? I tripped on a rock just outside the tunnel and this cut looks a bit deep."

Victoria pointed towards his room and turned toward the kitchen.

" 'Cade?" Alex said as she gingerly opened the door.

"Hey, Alex." Arcade answered, and she took that as an invitation to walk in.

She jumped on his cot, bouncing him, and the book he was reading, all over the place. He feigned annoyance at her and put the book down.

"Something I can do for you?" he asked, trying not to show his amusement.

"I just cut my arm a little." She stopped bouncing and held out her arm to him.  
"Hmmm. Doesn't look too bad. Won't take me a minute to fix up."

Arcade worked on her arm quietly, and she tried to keep as still as possible. She was unusually quiet, however, and Arcade picked up on it quickly.

"What's bugging you, Lexi?" He said quietly as he worked, using his pet name for her.

She was silent for a moment. "Nothing…. You know. Just dreams again." She responded.

"Cazadors killing you again?"

"Yeah. It was awful. Boone kicked my bed and I felt like I'd been stabbed in the back by one of the bastards. The pain I felt was so real and frightening. I was so glad it was just a dream."

"Have you considered going to see Doctor Usanagi?" he asked, as he started putting his doctor's bag away.

"There's no way in hell I'm going near a doctor. It's stupid." She snapped, and he looked taken aback.

"I'm sorry, Cade. I just…. I don't know why. I can't. Thanks for stitching me up." She shot him a guilty glance and bolted out of the room.

She wasn't watching where she was going, and as she rounded the final corner to her room, she ran face first into a hard, sturdy object. Startled, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

After a few seconds on the ground she looked up to see an unamused Boone standing over her. He awkwardly held out his hand and asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine." She grumbled, ignoring his hand and pulling herself up, tears pricking at her eyes.

"What….." he never got to finish his sentence as she ran for her room and shut the door behind her.

"What in the hell was that noise?" Cass emerged from her room and leaned against the doorway as she rolled a cigarette.

Boone shrugged, and moved on.

That night, Alex's spot at the table remained empty. The table, usually filled with banter and laughter, held an awkward silence over everyone. Occasionally, Raul would crack a joke and elicit stifled laughter from Veronica. Raul and Cass tried knocking on her door, to no answer.

The next morning, Boone knocked on her door.

"Alex. Hunting time." He said simply, and no sooner had the words come out of his mouth than the door flew open and she was standing there, fully dressed and ready to go.

They hunted in silence, and like usual got a respectable offering of gecko meat. Alex also gunned down a couple of bloatflies, something she knew Veronica would appreciate.

They walked together side by side, something that was unlike Boone, but he felt like she needed the company today. She was reckless, fearless, and didn't give a damn what others thought about her. She was his perfect partner when it came to battle, but after being with her for six months now, he couldn't help but feel a little concerned when she got herself into impossible situations. She always seemed to get out of it though, and so far in their journey they hadn't had any major injuries to speak of.

Having Arcade around had been great. He wasn't a social person at all, but after their group grew, he gradually accepted their strengths and weaknesses, and realized that being alone wasn't going to solve any of his problems.

His deep thoughts were suddenly shattered when he heard an agonizing scream from beside him, and Alexis crumbled to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2 - Danger

A/N: I honestly don't know where I'm going with this story. Ideas, opinions, reviews would be much appreciated.

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Boone whipped out his rifle and turned around in one swift movement, to face a giant radscorpion. Shit. The thing was bigger than he was. He started shooting like a maniac while simultaneously running backwards to avoid getting stung himself.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he blew the tail clear off the rabid insect. He dropped to his knees, exhausted. Finally he got up and ran to his partner's motionless body.

"Alex….. Alex please….. wake up." He begged. Suddenly he remembered the antivenom she kept in her backpack, and he fumbled around for it. His hands shook around the bottle.

Fuck.

He hated feeling this out of control. For the first time in his life he was scared. Finally he got the bottle open and pried her mouth open, tipping a few drops more than he intended into her mouth.

"C'mon…. swallow….." he gently rubbed at her throat and felt it slide down. Without hesitating, he picked up her motionless body and started on the journey home. He knew he needed to get her back to Arcade for proper treatment or she was going to die.

Her body was horribly hot in his arms, but he kept trudging on. He had to get her home safe. He needed Arcade to help him save her. He wasn't going to fail her.

Boone came running into the cave, and collapsed down by the fire, exhausted from running.

"Radscorpion…. Snuck up on us…. Should have been watching….." he managed to stammer. The group had already seen him coming and Arcade already had his doctor's bag and quickly began working. He thought it was strange that Boone hadn't let go of her yet, but he didn't question him.

After a few minutes, he had her stable, and everyone calmed down a little. Cass started a fire by dumping whiskey on the wood and throwing her finished cigarette on it. The fire roared to life and everyone sat down around it. It was colder than usual, and Arcade knew they would need to keep Alex warm or she could take a turn for the worse.

"So, Boone… what happened?" Arcade seemed satisfied that Alex was stable and was now fiddling with the remaining Med-X.

"We were heading back from hunting. Radscorpion snuck up behind us. Stung her straight in the side. Managed to pop it before it got me." His voice was full of regret through his strained breathing.

"It's not your fault, Boone." Veronica offered from beside him and Boone turned his head toward him so fast she thought his neck would snap.

"Yeah. Well. I don't agree." He said abruptly.

Raul kept them all entertained with old stories well into the night. Eventually, it was only Boone and Alex left by the fire.

There wasn't much to see outside the cave, so Boone sat down by the fire opposite where Alex was resting. He stared at the girl.

_Couldn't be much more than 20. _He mused. _Wonder if she has any family._

The last six months had been a whirlwind for Boone. One minute he was standing in the mouth of a dinosaur, wallowing in his own self pity and grief. The next, he was on a wild adventure with six people he barely knew, a senile nightkin, a half robotic dog, and a robot that only spoke in a series of beeps. He never would have expected this from himself. He, who had gone to great extremes to alienate even his best friend.

He felt a pang of remorse at that thought. Manny didn't deserve that treatment. Sure he hated Carla, but he would never…

His thoughts were interrupted by a groan from the other side of the room. He got up and moved over to her.

Alex slowly opened her eyes. _Where the hell? What the hell….. _Her thoughts tumbled over one another before she could even adjust to the dim light. Her whole body was on fire. She felt like someone had smashed her with a brick… repeatedly. She let out a small groan and tried to move, but she couldn't. no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move.

She looked around and saw the flickering fire. She looked up and saw a familiar face, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Easy." His voice was low and rough, yet soothing somehow. The familiarity behind his voice relaxed her a little.

"Here." He tilted her back and dropped a concoction down her throat. She choked in surprise and he quickly followed it up with some purified water. It felt good on her sore, chapped lips.

Finally she was able to move her arms and legs again. She was burning hot…. Her clothes. She was lying in clothes she didn't recognize. She raised an arm to her face. Her skin…. Dirty and covered in dried blood. She started to panic. Voices, racing inside her head. She started to cry. Hot, stinging tears pricking at her eyes, running down her cheeks. She started to yell. Her lungs burned. Everything burned. Her yells turned into screams. She could feel the man above her trying to talk to her, but his voice was hazy and distant. The sharp pain in her side was becoming unbearable. Somehow she managed to pull herself semi upright. From there she looked at her side. It was all bandaged and she ripped it off. She was shocked at what she saw. A big, nasty, bloody lesion covered half her stomach, side and back. Almost her entire torso was black and blue. She tried to stand up, but her legs crumbled underneath her. She was falling. Falling… Big hands caught her. Laid her down on the mattress, held her still. Another voice was speaking now. She felt a sharp prick in her shoulder, before black curtains drew across her eyes once more.

"Are you okay?" Arcade had helped Boone when he heard the commotion.

"I'm fine." Boone said simply.

"I can take over the rest of the night. You look like you could use some sleep."

"Fine." Boone replied after a moment of staring down at Alexis. He left the room abruptly.

"Strange guy." Arcade said aloud, to nobody in particular.

Boone was awake just before the sun rose. He walked into the room and saw Arcade slumped in the corner, sleeping uncomfortably. Lucky for him, Alex looked to still be knocked out from the drugs. Arcade leapt to his feet the moment he heard movement.

"Oh. It's you." Arcade relaxed. "She's doing okay." He said as Boone looked over at Alex.

"Good." Boone said simply. "I'm going hunting."

"And I'm coming with you." Cass appeared in the doorway, dressed and ready to go.

When Alex woke, she instantly knew she was feeling better. At least she knew who she was. Where she was. She tried to sit up, but pain from her side radiated from her toes to her eyeballs. She cried out, and Arcade came running.

"Hey." He said kindly, and she offered him a small smile.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Radscorpion got ya. Boone carried you all the way back here. I was a little worried about you for a while there." He smiled and looked relieved.

"Well, damn. Where is he? I should thank him…." She trailed off as she lifted her neck to look around, but dropped back down, exhausted.

"He's gone for dinner. He'll be back soon." Arcade was fumbling around in his bag. "Here. You need to take these."

She obediently swallowed the pills he offered and he propped her up on a few grimy pillows.

"Well hey girl!" Veronica burst into the room and ran to Alex's side.  
"Hey." Alex smiled weakly.

"You gave us all a right scare. I've never seen Boone behave that way." She remarked.

"What way?"

"Well… he carried you all t

"Alex," Arcade interrupted, "I need to tell you that even if you feel fine now, you may not be fully recovered yet. The poison can affect you up to 48 hours after you've been stung."

"Great." Alex groaned. "I just love the feeling of knifes in my side in the morning." Her sarcasm did not go unnoticed.

Boone sat down awkwardly across from Alex. She wanted to ask him to come over, but she was too shy. She wanted to thank him for saving her, but she just felt so awkward around him. She hated how her feelings for him affected their relationship. She tried her best to hide it, because she knew it would never work out. The things she had learned about him killed her inside. He loved Carla with all his being, and he had lost her. Nobody deserved that. She couldn't help falling for him though. A few months back it had just been the two of them, before they stumbled across Veronica at the 188 Trading Post. Back then it would have been easy to put a move on him. But now, there was always someone, or something – in the way. She didn't know if he knew. Those eyes never showed any emotion. Sometimes he would crack a small smile at one of Raul's stories. Sometimes he would glare at Veronica or Arcade but she could see he thought they were alright. But when he looked at her….. she just couldn't understand what was happening in his brain. She was starting to fade back into sleep now. She was aware of Raul and Cass talking in the corner about ED-E, and Arcade was polishing Rex's metal. Finally, she drifted off to sleep.

After a hearty meal of Gecko and bloatfly meat, everyone lay back to bask in the gentle flickering flames. After a while all the girls had fallen asleep, and the men were left talking idly about things that really didn't matter.

"Do you ever look at her and wonder who she was?" Arcade broke the silence, taking a break from polishing Rex.

"All the time." Raul answered. "Must be hard to not even know your own name."

When Alex had found herself in Doc Mitchell's office, she hadn't known her name. She told him the first name that came into her head. Alex seemed to fit, so she ran with it.

She'd wandered from town to town, and without even really meaning to, had become the object of many people's attention. She started helping others. That's how she'd met all her companions. They were all essentially strangers, yet they had somehow become family. They looked out for each other. Laughed with each other. Even had childish bickering fights every now and then.. She was like the glue that held them all together.

Arcade admired how she was able to just talk to people. How she could meet complete strangers and they would instantly like her. She had only pissed off one faction so far in their travels – and that was the Legion. All of them were fine with that though – the Legion were a bunch of assholes.

Arcade glanced over at Boone, who was intently staring at Alex. He would think it creepy, but it was something he noticed Boone doing a lot more as of late. Still he didn't think too much into it – Boone was a complex creature not to be trifled with. He shuffled off to find a good book to read.

There was something about Alex that terrified Boone. She had perplexed him from the start. She was so smart, so tough, yet she would break down at the drop of a hat. She was just as defensive as he was, and it threw him at the best of times. Sometimes, when he looked at her, he would see elements of Carla in her. She was so carefree, so beautiful. Just like his Carla.

_His Carla._

He shook his head to throw the thoughts out of his mind. He knew that she had romantic feelings for him. At first, he didn't know how he felt about it. Even tempting the thought in his mind filled him with overwhelming guilt and grief. But now, six months on, he found himself starting to accept how his life was turning out. She was teaching him lessons and he didn't even realize it. She was leading him to the Legion and letting him avenge his wife's death. He missed her so much, the way her hair fell on her face, the way her eyes lit up when he came home every morning…..

He drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3 - Don't be Scared

Alex woke up feeling a lot better. Arcade was able to feed her a little bit of food, and by the afternoon she was walking around. Her wound looked much better, and Arcade was pleased that she hadn't gotten an infection.

"So." Alex said as they sat down for dinner that night. "What did I miss?"

Boone headed over to the entrance to smoke.

"Nothing, really." Raul answered after looking around at everyone. "We've been waiting for you to get better to tell us what to do next."

"Well," she shifted uncomfortably on her leg. "I thought we should go to Nellis."

"Bad idea." Boone growled from the doorway.

"I have to agree. That's suicide. We'll all get blown up!" Raul raised his voice a little, something he rarely ever did.

"I think I've figured out a way to get through." Alex said mischievously.

"Even if you do get to the gate, there's nothing stopping them from blowing you up the moment you get there anyway." Boone was getting irritated, and he turned back towards the door.

Alex drifted off into her own thoughts. Maybe she was going a little insane. There was no way Arcade was going to let her dodge bullets and missiles just two days after being stung in the side.

"ALEX!" Victoria's cheeky face popped up in her frame of view. Alex startled and she swore she jumped three feet in the air. Victoria burst out laughing.

"We were talking to you for a good five minutes." Raul spoke, looking at her funny. Nothing got past that old man, and she sighed.

"Sorry." She responded, and turned back to the group.

Alex couldn't sleep that night. She walked out into the dimly lit 'living room' or so they called it – and went to the cave entrance. There she found herself a stable ledge and sat down. She lit up a cigarette and no sooner took a swig than Raul was beside her.

"Jesus. You scared the crap out of me." She whispered. He let out a low chuckle and beckoned for her to light him up.

"You okay, Raul?" she asked. The old man was always asleep at this time of night.

"I could ask the same of you, babygirl."

"Me? I'm fine." She put on her best fake smile.

"I might be old, but I'm not silly. Doesn't take a blind man to see you're in love.

Alex felt her cheeks flush. "I'm…. I'm not in love." She tried to think of an excuse but found none.

"You're playing with fire and you know it. But… if it is what your heart desires."

The two spent the rest of their cigarettes in silence.

After a few days the team was ready to go. They had become quite attached to their cave-home, and found it hard to leave. But, they needed to press onwards.

As darkness crept upon them, the team realized that they were not going to make Nellis by nightfall. They decided to set up camp several miles away, and settled down for the night. Boone was taking the night shift. Nobody argued with him, he seemed to like it better that way. Old habits are hard to break, Alex guessed.

At around midnight, Alex got up. She decided to go and talk to Boone for a while.

"Christ, Alex. Don't sneak up on me like that." He snapped, and she drew back.

"Sorry. You just scared me is all. I don't trust this area."

"Why not?" Alex asked.

"There's been deathclaws roaming around here in the past." Boone was tiring of her questions, yet oddly, he liked the company. They had started walking around the perimeter of the camp, up along a line of abandoned buses and army trucks. Boone suddenly put his hand out in front of her to make her stop.

"Watch it." He said in a hushed voice.

"What?" she whispered back, crouching down and pulling out her gun.

"We've got company." He ran forward, and started shooting at something above the rise.

She followed him over the ridge, and froze at what she saw.

Radscorpions.

Everywhere.

Boone had picked off around four but there were still at least three running at him. He spun around to face Alex who was still frozen on the spot. He picked off one more scorpion before running towards her. He quickly grabbed her by the hand and wrenched her along with him. He made a split decision to jump into one of the abandoned buses. He grabbed her around the waist and threw her in before him. He shoved her roughly to the back and stacked several boxes around them. While he did this she suddenly lost the plot and started crying. He hoped he hadn't hurt her, but there was no time for that. He pulled her down quickly, and she landed clumsily in his lap. Her sobs were coming uncontrollably now and he didn't think he'd ever seen her so afraid. He pulled her face into his chest in an effort to quiet her from the predators outside. He heard the scuttling as the creatures tried to locate them, but to his relief he saw several tails going in the opposite direction. He let his breath go and focused on Alex, who was shaking uncontrollably, tears rolling down her cheeks at an alarming rate.

His arms were still tight around her, even though his brain told him to move away. This was so out of character for him. Images of Carla flashed in his mind and he wanted to wrench away. _No…. no. She needs, you, Boone. Don't let Carla stop you from helping someone who is hurting. Someone who helped take some of your hurt away. _

He looked down at her as she looked up at him. They both realized their closeness all too suddenly, and for a moment Boone thought she was going to draw away. Instead, they both stayed paralyzed, both in fear and anticipation. His lips were a hairsbreadth away from her nose, and she was ever so slowly trying to alter the position of her face to meet up with his lips. Boone knew what she was doing, and he wanted to stop her, but he couldn't stop her. He didn't want to stop her.

Finally the moment came, and Alex was going to seize it. She gently pressed her lips against his.

She felt his breath catch in his throat, but his lips did not respond. She pulled away quickly and tried to get up. Boone let go of her, still stunned by what had happened.

"We need to get back to camp." She stuttered, and bolted away from him.

Boone lay, still on the ground, stunned by what had happened. He hadn't even known how to react. He knew they had chemistry but how could he love anyone but his wife? He couldn't. That wouldn't be fair to any of them. But why had he shut her down that way? He knew she was hurt and he felt like crap. He sighed and got up, heading back towards camp.

The next morning everyone met in the kitchen, discussing their plans. They'd been at the safehouse for over a week now, and they were all eager to get moving once more.

"So what was with Alex last night, soldier boy?" Cassidy nudged Boone in the ribs and he wanted to thump her.

Boone sighed. "I was out patrolling the area. Alex joined me. Went up the rise and found a whole bunch of radscorpions." He paused, and looked sad, yet confused. "She froze. Stood there like she'd seen a ghost. Had to grab her and throw her into a bus to avoid them. Couldn't take them on my own."

Everyone was silent. Had Alex lost her edge?

Cassidy dropped her empty whiskey bottle on the table with a thump, making Rex jump to his feet.

"Well, I'm going to shower." She announced loudly, and left the table.

Veronica and Lily made similar excuses, and soon it was only the three men left at the table.


	4. Chapter 4

The sniper pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a loud sigh.

"Something bothering you?" Raul looked at the larger man with an inquiring look.

Boone was silent for a moment. He wasn't a fan of talking but the old man was always able to give him advice.

"I'm scared for Alex." he broke the long silence.

Raul raised an eyebrow at the sniper and said nothing.

"How can we fight the Legion if she freaks out at a goddamn Radscorpion?" his voice sounded frustrated yet concerned.

"Give her time. She just got dealt a bad hand. Remember, she was also shot in the head. That's not something that one recovers from overnight."

"I just….. I don't know if I should stay." Boone sighed.

"Then don't." a cold voice came from behind him, startling him half out of his skin.

Boone stood up so quickly that his chair toppled over.

"Alex…. Wait. I didn't mean it like that…." He took a step towards her, but she retreated.

"Really? Because I heard you loud and clear." Tears trailed down her cheeks and she turned on her heels and ran.

Grabbing her pack on the way past, she ran until she couldn't run anymore.

Fumbling around in the darkness, she located a piece of cardboard, dragged it beside a bush, and fell asleep.

"What the fuck did you do, Boone?" Cass came running, followed closely by Veronica.

"Nothing. I did nothing…." The sniper took off his beret and ran his fingers across his bald head before putting it back on again.

"Where did she go?" Arcade scanned the area with his binoculars, but saw nothing but darkness.

"Fuck. Fuck!" Boone was pacing. "This is exactly why I'm better off alone." He slung his pack and rifle over his back and disappeared out the door.

"Now what?" Veronica broke the silence as the other companions stared out after the sniper.

Nobody answered her. Instead, they all stared in silence, at the black, harsh wasteland.


	5. Chapter 5 - Vulpes Inculta

**Reviews would be much appreciated!**

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Alex woke early the next morning, and rolled over, stretching. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and opened them.

The sight greeting her was none other than the steely blue eyes of Vulpes Inculta.

"How fortunate of me to find you sleeping here…. Completely unguarded." He paused for dramatic effect. "Pray, tell me, where is your posse?"

She stared at him, her eyes turning dark with fury and she looked around for her pack.

Vulpes laughed. "Do you really think I would sit here and let you have access to your weapons?"

"What do you want." She snarled at him, and she instantly regretted taking off her armour the previous night.

He grabbed her by the shirt and lifted her off the ground till her face was right cup close to hers.

"I want you to suffer." His words cut through her like a knife and she swallowed hard.

_Fuck._

"Guards!" Vulpes summoned his legionaries who assembled around her. They quickly tied her arms and placed a collar around her neck. Vulpes took a hold of the chain, and pulled it viciously, making her yelp.

"You would be wise to comply with my instructions."

The walk was long, as Vulpes led her through the wasteland. It amazed her how all the animals that would normally attack a human left him completely alone. Maybe he was one of those animal whisperers or something, she mused.

Finally, they reached the Fort. The ride on the raft had been a lot more comfortable, seeing as she was allowed to sit down. If her hands had not been tied, she would have thrown herself overboard, but she would surely drown. At least if she was alive her companions had a shot at finding her. Maybe they wouldn't even try.

Boone certainly wouldn't. He obviously hated her.

Tears pricked at her eyes. She loved him, and he had treated her like a child. Like she was some kind of broken equipment.

Vulpes' finger was hooked under her chin and he turned her face towards his.

"Huh. The great courier showing emotion." His thumb brushed the stray tear from her cheek, in a moment of tenderness that surprised them both. He let go and turned away again.

"The Fort draws near." Cursor Lucullus announced to the Legionaries.

Alex sighed. She was going to be killed, for sure. If, by some miracle she was saved, she was surely going to be dealt a horrible punishment.

Vulpes dragged her up to Caesar's tent and brought her before his master.

"Mighty Caesar, I present to you, the Courier causing all the commotion in the wasteland." Vulpes announced, somewhat proudly.

"You have done well, Inculta." Caesar stood, and towered over the girl who was on her knees in front of him.

"You are fortunate, young one. I'm not going to kill you. Instead, you will become Vulpes Inculta's personal slave. You will serve him, and you will do it gratefully. Whatever punishment he sees fit will be given to you." He sat down again. "Get this filthy profligate out of my sight."

Vulpes grabbed her off her feet and dragged her down to his private tent. Once inside, he sat her down roughly on a chair.

"Finally. I have you all to myself." He grinned, revealing a set of perfectly white, straight teeth.

"I don't see why that's funny." She snapped, her wrists starting to hurt even worse now that she was leaning against them.

She didn't see his hand even reach out to smack her across the face, hard.

In her shock she yelped and bit her cheek, causing it to bleed.

She leaned forward and spat blood on the ground.

He pushed her down to her knees and gave her a good kick to the ribcage, knocking the wind out of her. She fell onto the soft dirt, gasping for air.

This was how it was going to end. At the hands of the fox.

_I'm sorry, Boone. I'm sorry I failed you. _

She thought about Veronica, Cass and Raul. How they had always been there to hug her when she was sad, laugh with her about the good times, and support her whatever decisions she'd made. She remembered how Lily had told her endless stories about her adventures with Leo. All the memories flooded back into her brain and she started crying. It came out more as a choked wail, but it felt good to release her emotions.

She braced herself for another impact as she heard Vulpes pace around her and pause.

The impact never came, instead she felt his arms around her as he lifted her off the ground and onto the bed.

Shit. No. She'd rather die than have sex with him.

He was untying her wrists. She gladly flexed them, relieved as the blood came rushing back to her fingertips.

He grabbed her by the face, forcing her to look at him.

"You are mine now. And you will do exactly as I say, or there will be severe repercussions. Do you understand me?"

She could do nothing but nod. She had no desire to be kicked again, especially as she was sure he'd cracked at least two ribs already.

"Good."


	6. Chapter 6 - Captive

**There's a lot going on in this chapter! Reviews would be appreciated :)**

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Vulpes drew back a curtain at the back of his tent, revealing a caged partition. He gestured for her to go through, and she obeyed. He locked the door behind her, and left the tent.

Alex sat down heavily on the mattress in the corner and fell asleep. Her ribs ached with every breath.

The days dragged on, and turned into weeks. Generally, Vulpes was a kind master, and she found that by being quiet and obeying him she was able to live a relatively peaceful existence. She only got beaten when she acted out.

The longer she spent with Vulpes the more she felt an attraction to him. She couldn't help it; he was naturally good looking and he would often spend time in his tent wearing next to no clothing. She didn't find his chiseled abs disappointing in the slightest. Sometimes, if he was in a good mood he would even let her eat with him. Something told her that he enjoyed the company, and judging by the fact that he made her do the cleaning and washing told her that he was preparing for her to become his wife.

It wasn't Alex's definition of a happy life. Sure, one day she'd settle down and have children. But not with a man like Vulpes. She'd always imagined a future with Boone, maybe.

Alex sighed. There was no way that would happen now. She hadn't seen or heard of her companions since she had left. She guessed Boone had skulked back to Novac, and the others probably disbanded shortly after. She knew she was the glue that held them together and without her they would fight and eventually fall apart.

Oh, but how she was wrong.

She was violently awoken the next day by Vulpes grabbing her by the shirt and yelling in her face.

"What did you do? How did they find you here, profligate?" he was shaking her and she burst into tears.

"I….. what are you even talking about!?" She yelled back at him.

"Your companions just stormed the Fort entrance and killed several of my men. Just you wait…." He let go of her and shoved her down to the ground.

"Tell me what you know." He smacked her across the face and she fell into the dirt.

Here we go again, she thought. Time to get more ribs cracked.

Sure enough, his foot connected with her ribcage several times, as well as her jaw. She knew better than to fight back, so she braced herself for each blow.

"By the time I'm done with you, profligate, your companions won't even recognize you." He snarled.

"I swear I don't know anything…." She was bleeding profusely now. She knew she couldn't take much more of this.

She got up unsteadily onto her feet and turned to face Vulpes.

"I thought you were better than the others…. I thought that you would love me."

"Ha." Vulpes laughed momentarily before the scowl returned to his face. "You were wrong."

Without warning she lunged at him, and her fist connected with his jaw by a pure stroke of luck.

Vulpes was infuriated, and before she could dodge him, he had drawn his ripper and stabbed her twice – once in the arm, and the other in her side. She keeled over instantly, blinded by the pain.

Meanwhile, the companions had stormed the front of the Fort, and made their way up to Caesar's tent. They managed to overpower the unprepared Praetorians, Caesar, and Lucius easily enough.

They all stopped for a moment, panting after the heavy fighting. Cass turned to Boone.

"Go find her." She said encouragingly, and the sniper turned on his heels and exited the tent.

Veronica and Cass picked through the bodies, looking for anything useful, and keeping an eye out for Vulpes Inculta. He was nowhere to be found.

Boone searched tent after tent, hoping to find a trace of Alex anywhere. He was beginning to lose hope when he ran across another slave, named Siri.

"Sir…. Please….. help the other slave in that tent there…." She pointed to one in the far corner and then fled.

Boone sprinted over to the tent and ran inside.

He was beyond shocked to find Alex lying on the ground, in a pool of her own blood. He immediately checked her and found she was still breathing…. Barely.

He wasted no time in carrying her back to the rest of the group, who had just killed the last couple of remaining Legionaries.

The group was shocked when Boone returned with her. Veronica immediately burst into tears, and Raul ran to fetch their medical supplies while Arcade helped Boone lower her onto a mattress in one of the tents.

"She isn't good." Arcade murmured as he helped Boone remove the collar from her neck.

"Ahhh, shit." Arcade swore when he saw the wound on her side. It was large and gaping, and he knew if he didn't clean it properly it would get infected very quickly.

"Raul, quick. I need… a couple of stimpaks, some healing powder…. Some Med-X too." Raul fumbled around in the bag and found what he wanted. Arcade was quick to administer the drugs. "Now give me some alcohol."

Raul passed him some whiskey, and Arcade dumped the entire bottle over the two wounds. The searing pain was obviously enough to bring Alex back to consciousness, and she screamed.

"Alex….Alex!" Arcade slapped her face gently, but her eyes were cloudy and unfocussed. Her mouth moved a couple of times, and she shook her head twice before her eyes shut again. Her chest heaved, labored by the pain of the wounds.

"A super stimpak too. Have we got any?" he hastily asked Raul.

"Here."

"Boone, hold her arm out straight, alright? I need a vein." Finding a good one when she was so dehydrated was going to be tough. After careful planning Arcade managed to slip it in and bound it securely to her arm.

"That's all we can do for now." Arcade turned to Boone. "Our best bet is probably to take her to Old Mormon Fort."

"That's a long way away." Boone said, knowing it was at least two day's walk.

"We don't have a choice. Searchlight is a radiation hellhole, and nowhere else has the supplies or manpower to give her the care she's gonna need."

Boone sighed. "Alright. We'll start off now then." Boone went to pick her up but Raul stopped him.

"Wait. I have a better idea for you to carry her." He disappeared for a moment and came back with a ratty old blanket. He tied the two ends tightly on Boone's back.

"Arcade, bring Alex here." He instructed, and Arcade complied. "Now, gently put her inside the blanket pouch here." Raul opened the blanket and Arcade gently dropped her in.

"There. Now you don't have to wear your arms out carrying her." Raul offered Boone a smile.

"Thanks." Boone turned to the girls. "Ready?"

"Yep!" Veronica chirped. "ED-E's all packed up and we distributed Boone's pack between Cass and Arcade's so that he doesn't have to carry one." She finished with a smile.

The group set off, and Boone allowed Cass to carry his rifle, just in case. She had a sharp eye and if they really got into trouble, she was the only one who would be able to handle herself with it.

They were nearing the Old Mormon Fort when Alex began to stir. She started muttering an incoherent string of words.

"Vulpes….no….the….that….wait…stop….please…." she started thrashing about in the blanket and Boone stopped to try and relax her.

Arcade came over, assessed the situation and quickly administered some Med-X. He noticed that her super stimpak was also empty, and he quickly replaced it. The chems were effective and she passed out again.

They reached the Old Mormon Fort without incident, and Julie Farkas set them up in Arcade's old tent. The tent next door was also vacant and Julie allowed the other companions to take up residence there.

"Let's see what we have here." Julie looked at Boone. "Creative solution you got there."

Boone did not respond, but instead motioned for Arcade to lift her out. He was surprised to see she was awake. Her eyes were glassy and out of focus, and she didn't really seem to be present. Arcade lay her down on one of the beds and Julie came over to inspect her.

Alex's eyes slowly moved to the woman standing over her, and as the woman reached out to touch her Alex screamed and jerked away.

"Woah, easy." Julie stood up from her chair hastily as the girl trembled against the wall. Her eyes were still unfocused and she looked to be delirious. Her mouth was moving but no sound came out, and her breathing was harsh and ragged.

Boone and Arcade moved forward and held her still until Julie was able to administer a sedative.

"Alright, let's try again." Julie said firmly, and Boone retreated to another bed and sat down.

Ten minutes later, Julie turned around.

"Well…. She isn't good, but it's nothing we can't fix." She looked at Boone, who looked relieved.

"Do any of you know what happened?" She turned around to look at everyone.

Arcade was the first to speak up. "From what we can tell, Vulpes Inculta kidnapped her; she went missing for over two weeks, then Boone found her all beat up at the Fort."

"Well. That's… quite a story." Julie puffed her cheeks and blew out her breath slowly. "She has three broken ribs, and what I think is a small fracture in her arm. As for the wound in her side, it's badly infected and we'll have to treat that right away. The one on her arm is superficial and the stimpaks you gave her seem to have healed that up nicely. They look like knife wounds. What's interesting is that if she'd been stabbed any harder, higher or lower, she would have died. My guess is whoever did it didn't want her to die. I'll need to stitch up her forehead as well. Everyone nodded, still a little stunned by the events of the past few days.

"Judging from what I have seen she may have suffered extreme mental and emotional trauma."

Everyone dropped their heads. The last thing they ever wanted to hear was that their beloved courier was broken, and couldn't be fixed. Veronica looked like she may cry again.

"But you can fix her, right?" her voice sounded very small and quiet compared to her usual bubbliness.

Julie sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe we can get her up to the New Vegas Medical Clinic. Doctor Usanagi would be far more effective at dealing with emotional trauma."

"….But for now," she continued, "she needs to rest. I'll see to it that she gets the finest care, especially after all she has done for us." Julie smiled at Arcade. "Even if she did take away one of my best doctors."

"If you don't mind I would like to stay with her." Boone suddenly butted into the conversation, and his request was more of a statement.

"Of course you may. Now if you will excuse me I'll go and get some supplies to fix up that wound."

Everyone left the tent, apart from Boone. He moved over to her side and sat down at the foot of her bed with his back against the wall.

"Alex….. I'm so sorry." He looked down at the unconscious girl. "I should have never let you out of my sight. I thought I lost you…"

He trailed off, feeling stupid. She couldn't hear him anyway.

He sighed and moved over to the other bed. He should really get some sleep anyway. It wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep, and did not even hear Julie quietly stitching away.

Arcade woke Boone early the next morning. Boone woke with a start, and Arcade was lucky he had quick reflexes otherwise Boone might have snapped his neck.

Boone was on his feet in seconds, looking for trouble. He cast a look down at Alex, and to his dismay saw her in a much worse state than when he had seen her the night before.

She had an oxygen mask over her face, with wires hooked up to beeping machines, and various needles going in several parts of her body.

"What happened?!" his voice rose at least an octave and Arcade was impressed.

"Relax. It just seems to be a chest infection. We need to keep her hydrated and her breathing as clear as we can." She paused before continuing. "But if she runs into many more problems, we could very well lose her."

No sooner had Julie finished her sentence than the monitors began beeping loudly. Within seconds the room was flooded with doctors and moments later they were whisking her away. Arcade was amongst them, determined to be helpful.

The remaining companions stared after them, unsure of what had just happened.

At that point, Boone didn't even know what to feel. First Vulpes, now this. He just wanted Alex back. He wanted to make up for everything he'd done.

Hours later, the doctors emerged from the corner of the fort. Arcade ran up to the others, who quickly surrounded him and fired non-stop questions at him.

"SHUT UP!" The blond man suddenly yelled, and everyone fell silent.

"She had a bit of internal bleeding. We patched it up. She will be FINE." He was tired, and just as worried about her as the rest of them. "All we can do now is wait."


	7. Chapter 7 - Recovery

It was touch and go for the next few days, but slowly, the wires came out, the drips came out, and the breathing mask came off. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she had woken.

The group were anxious to see her, but Julie commanded that they all stay away. Except for Boone that was, because he flat out refused to.

When he saw her, he didn't see Alex. In her place he saw a fragile, scared little girl. There was no spark in her eyes. She looked at him, but her eyes were vacant. She did not smile, move or react when she was spoken to. When he or Julie moved near her she would flinch as if expecting to be hit.

He tried talking to her. About senseless things. About the silly things Veronica had done on their travels. About how he couldn't wait to teach her how to properly use the Gobi rifle he'd retrieved from the sniper's nest….

But she never moved. Only blinked. Then she would sleep. He was so frustrated. He was not good at deciphering women. He had been lucky with Carla. What she saw in him….. well he still didn't know.

Julie interrupted his thoughts. "I have some food here, if you want to try and get her to eat. If she doesn't we'll have to put a drip back in."

Boone nodded and gently propped Alex up to a half sitting position. She watched him carefully, flinching every time he moved. "Here." He said quietly, holding a piece of bread up to her lips. She made no attempt to eat it. "Come on." He coaxed, knowing she was going to really test his patience skills. Slowly, she opened her mouth, looking hesitantly at him. She chewed it slowly and eventually swallowed. He offered her a few more pieces until she refused. "Good girl." He murmured, and gently swept a stray hair out of her face.

She was starting to drift off to sleep, so he put the food down and left. He was hungry himself, and desperately needed to use the bathroom. He passed Arcade on his way.

"How's it going?" The older man asked the sniper.  
Boone sighed. "Not great. It's like she isn't even there."

"It's early days yet. Give her time." Arcade reached out to touch Boone's shoulder, but thought better of it.

Alex woke early the next morning. She looked straight up into the steely blue eyes of Boone, and was a little startled. Who the hell was this?

"Hey." Boone's low voice instantly brought her comfort.

She opened her mouth, and tried to say something but nothing came out. After several more attempts she managed a weak "who are you?"

He stared at her a moment, stunned. She must be joking.

She turned her head to observe her surroundings. A simple tan tent with a few beds…. Hmmm. They could be anywhere, really. The more she started thinking the more confused she became. She didn't even really know who she was.

Her thoughts were broken by the man moving and stretching over her. His hand came back with a bottle of water, and he tilted her head to help her drink.

The cool water felt delicious as it slid down her throat, and she drank thirstily. It was gone too soon, and she let out a low cry of disappointment. Boone stretched over her again and pressed another to her lips.

She downed three bottles before she started to feel sick. She lay back down against the sniper's chest, exhausted. It had felt like a mammoth effort just to drink that water. She let out a low moan, the pain radiating from her side taking over her. She started to panic.

Gentle arms wrapped around her.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

It was what she needed to hear. She didn't know who the man was, but she felt safe with him. He obviously knew her well and had protected her. She slowly fell into a deep sleep.

When he was sure she was asleep, he carefully untangled herself from her and got up, just as Julie and Arcade walked into the tent.

"How is she?" Julie asked as she passed Boone a bag of supplies.

"She woke up. Didn't recognize me. Seemed very slow and in a lot of pain."

"Oh dear." The woman looked downcast. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen."

"Hoping what wouldn't happen?"

"It sounds like retrograde amnesia."

Boone wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about but he nodded. He excused himself from the tent and went to get his pack. He needed a shower and food.

He was on his way to the showers when he heard Arcade calling him from across the compound. Boone sighed and went over to the older man.

"She's awake again, but we can't get close enough to give her some meds. Can you help?"

Boone entered the tent. As soon as Alex saw him she visibly relaxed.

"Hey." He said quietly as he sat down beside her. "Arcade just needs to give you some chems to help you feel better." She looked at him and nodded slowly. Arcade moved carefully forward and she allowed him to inject her arm.

"Good." Arcade said kindly. "Now can I look at your side?"

She looked uncertain and Boone put an arm around her waist, gently sliding her down into a lying position. "It's alright." He said firmly and she relaxed a little.

"That's looking good." Arcade said soothingly and moved away from her. "Now, I'd like to get you up and moving about."

Boone pulled her up to her feet carefully. Her vision blurred and her knees crumbled underneath her.

"Woah. Let's take it slow now."

She felt like a toddler learning to walk again; her balance was all off centre and her legs felt weak.

"I'm right here if you need anything." Arcade said kindly as he took her hand, and Boone took the other.

Slowly she took one step after another. The pain had subsided a little, but she was still very aware of the beating her body seemed to have taken.

What the hell happened to her?

Arcade slowly led her back to her tent and helped her put on some clothes that Julie had kindly dug up for her. It was a laborious process. Her body ached beyond anything she had ever felt before. She wanted to ask for something for the pain, but she couldn't find the words. Arcade finished helping her and helped her into bed. He drew the blankets around her and quietly left.

She slowly closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

When Boone came back into the tent he saw Alex resting peacefully, so he decided to go and brief the others on what had been happening.

"I know you're all anxious to see her, but she's very fragile." Arcade was saying as Boone walked into the tent.

Veronica moaned. "Is she going to be okay?" she turned to face Boone.

"I don't know." The sniper said simply. He was being honest, he really didn't know. He wanted her to be okay. But he couldn't make it okay.

Cass took a swig of her seemingly never ending supply of whiskey. "I hope so. I want to get back to travelling."

Boone slipped away once Cass and Veronica started bickering. He was in no mood to deal with them, and he went back to his tent.

He was surprised to find Alex awake. She was lying on her stomach, staring down at the floor. She looked up when Boone entered. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and Boone felt a rush of warmth to his heart. Alex was still in there, somewhere.

He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. She rolled onto her back and looked at him expectantly.

"You wanna talk?" He asked after a long pause. She nodded, and sat up, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Who am I?" she asked him after a long silence.

Boone sighed. "Your name is Alex. You were a courier. You got shot in the head." He paused, trying to remember the order of events.

She touched her forehead gingerly. "is that why I don't remember?"

"No. You were kidnapped by a bad man. He did all this." He gestured to her body.

She got up slowly and walked over to a large cracked mirror in the corner of the tent. She slowly lifted up her shirt and examined her body.

She had a large bandage wrapping most of her torso, and her ribs were black and blue. She looked at her face, which had a bruise covering the entire left side. She was shocked at how she looked.

"Alex." She said her name aloud, and Boone came up behind her.

"Come on. Back to bed."


	8. Chapter 8 - Carry On

Cass wasn't one to be quiet and composed. But as she sat with the Followers Guards, Raul couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that brain of hers. She hadn't touched alcohol since Alex was found – or at least, not that he'd seen. She was usually so loud and abrasive, and the silence that followed her around now was almost deafening. It had surprised them all to see how badly it affected her.

"What are you looking at, Raul?" Arcade came up behind the ghoul, making him jump.

"Lord, Arcade, you nearly scared this old man out of his skin." Raul put his hand to his heart, and breathed heavily.

"You worried about Cass, too?" Arcade followed Raul's line of sight.

"Yeah. You too?"

"Yeah…. Guess this whole thing really affected her."

The men turned to see Boone gently leading Alex out of her tent. She was still wobbly and weak, but looked so much better than she had yesterday. She still hadn't recovered her memory, and the longer time passed, the less likely it became that she would ever get it back.

Boone led her over to the other two men, who greeted her. She acknowledged them personally, but all of them could tell that she didn't really know who she was.

At that moment, ED-E came sailing past the group, having just been released by one of the Followers.

"ED-E….." Alex suddenly said out loud, and the three men whirled to face her.

"ED-E!" She yelled again. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and the men could see the connections in her brain starting to form once more.

ED-E stopped and turned to his owner before flying over and making a series of beeping sounds. Even the robot had known his master was severely ill, and had hardly left his dock throughout the entire ordeal.

Her eyes sparkled as she turned to face Raul and Arcade. She threw her arms around them both, and instantly regretted it.

"Owwww…." She moaned, and her legs crumbled a little underneath her. Boone caught her under the arms.

"Easy, now. You can't just remember who you are and go overboard." He scolded her, but she was fading fast, her energy spent. He lifted her into his arms and carried her back to her tent.

He laid her down and drew the blanket over her. This might be the desert, but it was still important to keep her warm.

"Boone…."

He smiled a little. It had hurt when she hadn't remembered him.

"I'm here."

"Boone, what happened?"

He paused for a moment, and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"I was hoping you could tell me."

There was a long silence, as she tried to remember the events of the past few weeks.

"I….. I don't remember." Her voice cracked and she started crying.

"Woah, easy. You just need to get some rest." He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I won't be far away. Just call for me and I'll come running." He reassured her.

"I'm glad I have a First Recon guy looking after me." She whispered.

Boone sighed as he left the tent. This was all becoming too much for him, and he was beginning to regret even tagging along with Alex in the first place. But he cared about her more than he wanted to admit, and no matter how much he psyched himself up, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

He loved her.

He kicked a stray rock, and accidentally hit a sleeping Rex.

"Sorry boy." He apologized to the tin dog, and gave him a few pats.

He couldn't love someone else. That wasn't fair on Carla. She'd only been gone a year. He hadn't expected to find anyone else – ever. He wasn't worth anyone's time.

Alex had been different. She didn't take no for an answer. She had pretty much dragged him away from that dinosaur. Dragged him away from the miserable fucking town and that horrid bitch Jeannie May. Helped him avenge Carla's death. Put his mind at ease at Bitter Springs. And now, through everything, she still didn't hate him for being bitter. She always smiled at him. She always laughed at him when he did something dumb. She saw the best in him.

But deep down, he knew that he would never be good enough for her.

It was then that Boone made the decision to leave. She was better off without him.


	9. Chapter 9 - Abandoned

Alex slept soundly late into the morning. When she woke, she was surprised to find Boone's bunk empty. His pack wasn't even there.

She got up slowly, a little disoriented. Her first steps were steady enough, and she made it to the entrance before she stumbled and fell face first into the dirt.

"Alex!" Arcade saw her fall from across the compound and sprinted over. He helped her up and she thanked him.

"Where's Boone?"

"I…. I'm not sure?" Arcade glanced around the fort but didn't see any sign of the sniper.

"I'm sure he just popped out for some supplies." Arcade was still holding onto the girl. "Now, how about we get you something to eat, and you can go and see the girls. No more of this laying in bed."

"But Arcade…." She whined.

"Don't you sass me little girl." Arcade waved his finger under her nose.

By the time night fell, there was still no sign of Boone. It was unlike him to leave unannounced, let alone not return. Arcade was becoming suspicious. Alex kept asking for him, and he knew she would eventually work it out, and once she did she would go after him. He sighed and walked into his tent, where the other girls and the ghoul were lounging around.

"I'm worried that Boone has ditched us." He looked at them one by one. "He should have been back by now…. And he always tells us where he's going."

"So what do we do, then? If he's gone, and Alex finds out, she's gonna be real upset." Cass drawled after taking a swig of whiskey.

"Well I'm guessing the idiot went to Novac. We'll have to go there and talk to him." Arcade was hesitant. The sniper scared the shit out of him at the best of times and the idea of talking to him about anything really, was enough to make him want to run in the other direction.

"We'll set off first thing tomorrow." Arcade decided aloud.

"What about Alex?" Raul asked.

"She needs to stay here and recover more. She isn't strong enough to make a journey that long."

"Okay, you're the boss, but…. I'm telling you now she isn't gonna be happy when she finds all of us gone." Raul seemed genuinely concerned.

"We can leave a message with Julie. Now we all need to get some sleep. Goodnight, guys."

* * *

It was extremely early the next morning when Arcade woke each of his companions. Cass responded by throwing her pillow at his face, Veronica merely snored louder, and Raul complained about his knees hurting. Eventually, he got them all up and ready to go. After leaving a note for Julie, the companions quietly snuck out of the Fort, and in the direction of Novac.

* * *

Alex was far from impressed when she woke to find all of her companions gone. When she tried to leave, the followers tried to prevent her, which caused a commotion so loud and so large that even the Kings came running. The mass of confusion which followed enabled Alex to slip out the gate undetected, and before anyone could chase after her she had left Freeside and ventured out into the Mojave.

It was late in the night when the Followers reached Novac. Arcade settled the followers in the motel room Alex had bought many months ago, and then set off in the direction of the dinosaur. If it was one thing he knew, Boone was a creature of habit and he would most likely be taking his night shift, as if he'd never left.

Sure enough, Arcade opened the door at the top of the dinosaur and saw the solid frame of the sniper. Boone whipped around, alerted by the noise of the smaller man.

"What are you doing here." It came out as more of a statement, but Boone already knew the answer.

"What the hell do you think?" The sniper wasn't stupid, the medic was fucking furious with him.

"Look… I…. I just couldn't deal with the pressure anymore. I don't want to get close to another person and face losing them as well." Boone pinched the bridge of his nose, refusing to look at Arcade.

"You really are stupid. Can't you see the girl is mad about you? She's always defending you, always keeping your best interests at heart. She loves you, and you just trample on her like she's nothing."

Boone stared, shocked at Arcade's sudden outburst.

Arcade softened a little. "Look. I don't know what it's like to lose a wife, or a husband. I don't. But I do believe in happy endings and I know that if you just get this whole karma payback bullshit out of your mind, you might just get a little taste of happiness."

"I think you should leave." Boone felt rage building in his chest, but he knew it was because Arcade was right, not for any other reason.

"Fine. I'll go back to my boss, and explain to her that the man she loves doesn't care about her. And then I'll deal with the broken heart, the tears, and god knows what else she might be dealing with after being kidnapped."

With that, Arcade turned on his heels and stormed out, before the sniper could stop him.

Boone sighed. He'd been selfish. But he couldn't let his feelings for Alex overshadow his love for Carla.

That wouldn't be fair.

Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself.


End file.
